New Town Love
by The Bronze Loyal
Summary: Max Ride has just moved to Oregon from Colorado. Her and her sister, Ella, are makng new friends, and enemies. When Max and Fang meet they're just friends, but will they stay that way or turn into something more? Plenty of secrets will unfold. FAX, EGGY, NAZZY, DISSA, AYA, BREGA
1. Moving

New Town Love

**Hey guys, I'm Bronze. This is my first FanFiction so any constructive criticism is welcome. I have a busy life, but I'll try to update at least 2 times a week. My best friend, Loyal Avian-American is super cool. You guys should check out her story. **

**Disclaimer…I do not own Maximum Ride ;;**

**Ok, onto the story…. **

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Max's POV

"I still don't understand why we had to move," I grumbled. That wasn't the truth. In fact, it was far from it. I knew exactly why we had had to move. Mom and Jeb, her second husband and not my dad, had gotten a divorce. Mom couldn't stay in the house anymore because of too many memories and moved from perfect Colorado to rainy and boring Oregon. Just perfect. I'd left my two best friends behind, Kate and Star, but the person I regretted leaving the most was my boyfriend of two years, Sam. I broke up with him because of the move. I was still so sad and wrapped up about him.

Mom pulled the car into the driveway of our new house. It was in the suburbs and we had a ton of new neighbors, some of whom I hoped were cool people my age that I could hang out with. The house wasn't big, but it was ok. It was painted grey with white trim.

As soon as Mom parked the car, I jumped out, pulling my backpack and duffel out behind me. Mom threw me the keys to the front door and I instinctively raised my hand and caught them. I unlocked the door and stepped inside.

The living room, kitchen, and dining room were almost like one big room. There was an island in front of the obvious kitchen, but other that they were bare. Down the hall there were four bedrooms and two bathrooms. Like I said, not big, but it was nice. I walked down the hall, glancing back at the kitchen. _Won't be spending a lot of time in there. _

I looked in all four bedrooms, but eventually decided on the second one. It was airy and had a big window facing the back yard. Just as I had put my backpack and duffel down, claiming the bedroom as mine, two U-hauls pulled into the drive way.

I ran back outside, eager to start putting together our new house. Mom and Ella, my little sister, were waiting patiently by the door of the first U-haul, while the driver unlocked the door.

Mom reached inside as soon as the mover had gotten out of the way. She started pulling out boxes labeled 'Kitchen Supplies' and 'Pictures'. I reached for the boxes labeled 'Max's Stuff' and 'Don't Touch Max's Stuff'. I set all my boxes on the lawn and off to the side. I wasn't in a big hurry to unpack. I went over and carried one of Ella's heavier boxes that she was having trouble with. Then, behind all of our boxes was the furniture. I reached for the couch. Both of the drivers stepped up to take it. "I got it," I growled at them. They looked at me uncertain that I could actually take it. I smiled a sickly sweet smile then returned my attention to the couch.

"Max, let the men help you," Mom chided me. I put my hands on my hips and whirled around to face her. I don't need help moving the couch and Mom knows it. I shot her a glare, not one of my full scale glares, but a good one, and turned back around. I climbed into the U-haul and picked up the front end of the couch and slid it out of the moving truck. The men moved forward warily to take the couch, but I shot them one of my full scale death glares. They quickly backed away. I'm Maximum Ride after all. My death glare is usually enough to melt most people on the spot.

With the couch out of the U-haul, I moved so I was standing in the middle of it. I glanced over at Mom and Ella. They had started unloading a few boxes and small things like lamps, from the second U-haul. I bent over and put one hand under the couch, and I grabbed the back of the couch with my other hand. I stood back up and slowly the couch came with me. I then had it in the air. I started walking to the front door. I stopped, set down the couch, and opened the door. I turned around to pick up the couch again, only to find a boy with blue eyes, and spiky blonde hair with the tips dyed vibrant green standing there.

"Hi," he greeted. The boy looked about my age. He was bouncing up and down on his toes. I smiled, unsure what to make of him.

"I'm Gazzy," he introduced. "I live next door. Do you need help moving the couch?" I shook my head. Gazzy had gestured to a tan house with black trim. It had a manicured lawn with flowerbeds up against the house. A little rock path ran through the middle of the lawn leading to the front door.

"Nope. I got the couch. The name's Max, by the way," I introduced myself. I picked up the couch again and shoved it through the door. Gazzy followed me inside without invitation. I pushed the couch into the living room and against a wall, under a window. I turned around to exit the new house.

"You're strong," Gazzy commented. I flashed him a sheepish smiled and shrugged. I headed back outside with Gazzy as my tail.

When I walked over to Ella, I saw her talking to a girl about my age. The girl had curly blonde hair and the same blue eyes as Gazzy. She was like the female version of Gazzy. "Hey Gaz. This is Ella. Ella this is Gaz," the girl introduced my sister and Gazzy. Gazzy nodded his head in greeting. I stepped up to introduce myself.

"I'm Maximum, but call me Max, or else. Who are you?" I asked bluntly. I gazed expectantly at the girl. Her blonde curls bounced as she walked over to me, obviously not fazed by my rudeness.

"I'm Angelique, but you can call me Angel. I'm Gazzy's twin sister. What grade are you in? Gaz and I are juniors," she said flashing her bright blue eyes at me. Angel sure was cute. I smiled at her.

"I'm a junior, too. Ella here is a sophomore," I replied for the both of us. Ella nodded her head. Mom chose that moment to walk up to us. She smiled cheerfully at Angel and Gazzy.

"I'm Dr. Martinez, Max and Ella's mom," she greeted our new neighbors. Angel and Gazzy smiled and introduced themselves. The twins offered to help us move boxes, and Mom gratefully accepted the help. I picked up one end of the second couch and as soon as it was out of the truck, Gazzy picked up the other end and grinned at me. I grinned back and silently accepted the help from my new neighbor, can't be mad at everyone.

"Thanks Angel. Thanks Gazzy. I can't believe we are done already," I remarked, shocked by our progress. All of the boxes and furniture were now inside.

"We're having a party later tonight. People your age from school are going to be there. Why don't you and Ella come? Party starts at 6:30," Angel invited. I assured them I would be there, and then Angel and Gazzy hopped over the fence separating our houses.

I walked back into the house and into the bedroom Ella had picked. She had all of her boxes spread out and open. She also had a box of hangers. She was hanging clothes in her closet, no longer able to stand the idea of her clothes being folded and wrinkled. I'm not really one for fashion, but Ella did have good taste, and she'd probably force me into one of her outfits for the party anyways, so I might as well view my options.

I plopped onto the floor next to my baby sister, and picked up a hanger and a sparkly green shirt. Ella raised an eyebrow. I just shrugged. "Gazzy and Angel invited us over for a party later," I said nonchalantly. Ella squealed. She wrapped her arms around me, crushing my lungs. I pried off her arms and breathed deeply. Ella squealed again.

I helped Ella finish hanging the mountain of clothes she deemed closet worthy. Somehow her basketball shorts and sweats didn't make the cut. I pulled out my iPod and checked the time. "Ells, its 4:30. That took forever. Why do you have so many clothes?" I asked. Ella's head shot up.

"Max, we have to get ready," she shrieked, not bothering to answer my question. I shrugged and hauled myself up off the floor. I walked to my room and opened one of the boxes with my clothes in it. I found what I was looking for, black jeans. I shoved the first box out of the way and grabbed a second clothes box. In this one I grabbed a purple shirt with gold streaks across it. I threw them on and bypassed my normal black converse that I've worn to death, since I knew Ella wouldn't let me wear them anyways. Instead, I put on black combat boots with gold studs. I grabbed my phone and iPod and slipped them into my back pockets. I tugged a brush through my dirty blonde hair and went to check Ella's approval.

"Not bad, Max, but you would still look wayyyyy cuter in one of my skirts, even though I'm not wearing a skirt. I have the perfect jacket for you. Oh, and you should let me pick out some earrings for you. You'll look soooooooo cute," Ella rambled. I just nodded, not sure what I was getting myself into. Ella left the bathroom and her makeup to find 'the perfect jacket and earrings'. I glared at Ella's makeup bag. I hate that bag and not just 'cause its pink. I loathe pink. I looked away as Ella reentered. She was carrying a black leather jacket. She handed me the jacket, and I put it on. I checked the pockets for the earrings Ella had said she was getting. I didn't find any, but I wasn't about to complain.

I looked Ella over. She had put on bright green super skinny jeans and a silver top. Her hair was up in a messy bun, waiting to be dealt with. She had on a bit of makeup and silver heart shaped earrings. Ella was beautiful. I smiled at my sister, a tad jealous of how stunning she looked. "Ella, you're beautiful," I breathed out. She smiled and blushed, but stayed quiet for a few seconds. Then, Ella shooed me out of the bathroom so she could finish her makeup. I rolled my eyes, but left.

An hour later put me at the kitchen island. I was sitting on one of the stools we had brought inside, explaining that Ella and I were going to a party next door. Mom just kept nodding her head as she made spaghetti. Ella walked out, finally done with her makeup and hair. Her hair was unnaturally shiny and straight. She had used the flat iron again. I stand up and walk to the door, throwing a good bye over my shoulder. Ella shut the door behind her and we both walked out onto the lawn. I looked over and raised an eyebrow at Ella. She nodded and smiled. Sometimes we can read each other's minds. We hopped the fence into Gazzy and Angel's yard.

We strolled up to the door at 6:35, fashionably late. Ella knocked on the door and it was opened by none other than our favorite blonde boy, Gazzy. He smiled and waved us into the house.

It was rather nice. Pictures hung on the walls and there was a book case full of old antique books. There were also two curio cabinets filled with antiques. He led us into the kitchen. The kitchen had marble counter tops and stainless steel pots and utensils.

Angel was talking with a girl with dark brown frizzy hair and cocoa skin. Two tall dudes leaned up against one wall talking. One was clad in all black and even had black hair and eyes. The other had strawberry blond hair and blue eyes. A pizza box lay open on the counter. Everyone was comfortable. They were all obviously good friends. I felt a bit like an intruder.

As soon as Angel saw us, she grabbed the other girl's wrist and dragged her over to us. "I'm Monique, but no one calls me that. They call me Nudge. What's your name?" she asked very quickly. You could tell she was a motor mouth.

"I'm Max. This is my sister Ella. We just moved here," I explained. Nudge and Ella got into a conversation about fashion and some other crap I didn't feel like listening to, so I walked up to the dudes whispering by the wall.

"Hi," I said. Both boys turned to look at me. "My name's Max Ride." The blue eyes on spoke first.

"I'm Iggy. That's Fang," he said jerking a thumb at the other boy. The boy in black was silent for a few moments, but spoke when Iggy elbowed him in the ribs.

When he did speak his voice was rough and low. He said, "Isn't Max a boy's name?" That got me mad. I hate when people assume that Max is a boy's name and I'm some weird exception to the rule.

I put my hands on my hips. "Isn't Fang a dog's name?" I retorted. I raised my eyebrows. He smirked.

"Touché," Fang replied. I let a grin cover my face as my hands dropped back to my sides.

Fang's POV

Max was cute. She definitely rocked those combat boots and jacket with confidence that even Nudge could pull off. She was also funny. I stole a glance at Iggy. He was talking to Max about her moving here and starting school tomorrow. He occasionally glanced over Max's shoulder at Max's sister, Ella. Ella and Nudge were definitely hitting it off.

I was content just to listen to Max and Iggy talk. Most of the time, I just looked at Max and tried to learn a lot about her. I didn't need to ask any questions, all my questions were voiced by my friends. No talking from me, totally working for me.

I looked up to see Gazzy staring at me. I locked eyes with him. He raised his eyebrows twice, the tapped his elbow. That was our code for, "What to go shoot hoops?" I nodded, tapped Iggy's arm three times then squeezed his wrist. He nodded. Gaz headed for the back door. Max looked at me expectantly.

"What was that?" she asked. I just shrugged.

"We're gonna go shoot some hoops," Iggy explained.

"Can I come?"

"Sure, that is, if you can shoot."

"Of course I can shoot. What? You think just 'cause I'm a girl I can't shoot?"

"Just wondering." Max snorted. She followed us outside. Gaz had already gotten his ball off the shelf in the garage. He was shooting at the hoop in his back yard. He raised an eyebrow when he saw Max, but quickly shrugged it off.

I raised my hands and Gaz passed me the ball. I shot, and the ball sunk right into the hoop. I high- fived Iggy. Max looked unimpressed. I don't know why, but I wanted to impress Max.

Gazzy passed the ball to Max next. She took three steps back from where I was standing and the closed her eyes. Iggy, Gaz, and I watched as Max took one step forward and launched the ball through the air. We saw the ball swish through the net. Iggy's mouth dropped open. Gazzy looked stunned. I kept my unemotional mask, but my eyes widened just a bit. Max, a girl, had just swished a basket with her eyes closed. Her eyes flew open and she smiled in triumph at us. Iggy closed his mouth and Gaz moved again. I let my eyes return to their normal state.

Max tossed hair over her shoulder and headed back to the house. She had a hand on the door knob. "How's that for shooting, Iggy?" Max asked, but didn't turn around. She left to inside.

Iggy reached up behind his neck and rubbed it a couple times. "Guess we shouldn't underestimate Ride," Iggy commented. Gazzy looked at him like 'No duh'. I just rolled my eyes at my friends. We followed Max back inside after a few minutes.

Andrew had arrived. Max and him were talking. I saw Angel gazing at him. Oh brother. Angel sure has a crush on Andrew. Andrew was on Gaz, Iggy, and my basketball team last year, and he is trying out this year with us. Andrew's a pretty nice kid. Him and Gaz got close.

I saw Nudge and Ella steal Max away from Andrew. I'm. It sure why, but I'm glad those two were done talking. I walked up to Andrew. "Max is pretty cool, huh?" he asked. I just nodded my head. In case you didn't notice, I'm not a big talker. Gaz and Iggy eventually made their way over. They got into a big discussion over who was better, Magic Johnson, or Kareem Abdul-Jabar. Andrew and Iggy were for Magic, while Gaz strongly fought that Kareem was better. I'm more of a Karl Malone fan.

I started tuning the guys out. I watched Max talk to Ella and Nudge feverishly. They seemed to be in a sort of heated discussion.

Max's POV

Nudge and Ella dragged me away from Andrew. I was a bit glad. He was cute and all with his brown hair and green eyes, but Andrew was a bit full of himself.

"Max. You should so let me do your makeup sometime," Nudge gushed. I widened my eyes in horror. I shook my head furiously.

"No, no no. Never. No way. Not gonna happen," I whisper screamed. Nudge just rolled her eyes. Ella sighed and look helplessly at Nudge.

"Come on Max. I but you look beautiful with makeup!"

"Makeup is a torture device!"

"It is a self care product that make women feel better about themselves."

Before I could counter, the door flew open. Six dudes barged their way into Angel and Gaz's house. They were all football players. You could tell 'cause they were all wearing their jerseys. Everyone turned to look at them. Fang, Iggy, Gaz, and Andrew all glowered at the guys. I stepped out in front. "Who are you guys?" I question fiercely.

"Get out. Ari, Dylan, Omega, all of you. OUT!" Gaz ordered. One of them stepped up and shoved Nudge out of the way. I didn't know Angel and Gaz's friends very well, but I'm not a fan of any jerk that shoves girls to the ground. I stepped up to him a push a finger in his chest. He stumbled back a step.

All of the guys finally realized I was there. Catcalls and whistles rang throughout the room. "Who's the new hottie?" one of them asked.

"Leave her alone, Omega," Iggy growled. I stepped up to Omega.

"Your green eyes are beautiful, but I think you would look better with purple eyes," I said, flashing him a smile. He grinned back. Idiot.

"Really?" he asked. Wow. The numbskulls in this town. I smiled again. I took a step towards him and then popped him right in the eye. Omega keeled over. His eye was already starting to swell.

"You'll have a purple eye in a few hours. I can give you another shiner so you match, or you can get out now," I warned. I sent a death glare at all six guys and waited for them to scat. Two guys stepped in front of the now violently swearing Omega. I cracked my knuckles threateningly.

"You're going to regret that, new girl," the dude with blonde hair and turquoise eyes warned. I shrugged like I wasn't worried. The other boy, this one with dark brown hair and brown eyes, threw a punch aimed for my jaw. I raised my hand and caught his fist. I kneed him in the stomach and he dropped. I raised my eyebrows at the blonde almost asking if he wanted to mess with me. He backed off, helping his buddies off the floor.

"You're going down new girl," he growled. I tossed my hair over my shoulder.

"Whatever. Oh, and my name is Max by the way. Max Ride. Uh, bye bye," I said watching them troop back outside. I turned around to see seven stunned people standing there. I ignored them and went to check on Nudge.

"Are you ok?" I asked, kneeling beside her. I was worried a bit. Nudge just stared up at me.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said after a minute. She picked herself up off the floor. I turned around to see Fang standing behind me.

"Jeez. Don't sneak up on me, you ninja" I yelped. He cracked a half smile.

"Are you ok?" he asked. I looked puzzled. I was fine. I nodded my head. Fang relaxed a bit. I took a step back and saw everyone was unfrozen. Angel and Nudge were talking excitedly. Ella chimed in every now and then. Gaz, Iggy, and Andrew were huddled up, talking with their backs to Fang and me.

I walked over to Angel, Ella, and Nudge. "Ohmigod! Did you see Max just beat up both Omega and Ari? Even Dylan was scared. They totally crashed the party, but Max totally took care of them. ZOMG. That was like crazy cool. Max, do you know who you just took down?" Nudge asked. I shook my head, mystified.

Angel gawked for a minute. "You took down Omega, player of the school, football player, Bridgid's boyfriend, and popular. You then took down Ari, jock, wrestler, football player, Maya's boyfriend, and popular. Not to mention you frightened Dylan, model, football player, Lissa's boyfriend, and popular. They are some of the most popular people at Freshwater High. The only people that rival them are their girlfriends. And you, you just took down all of them. ZOMG. Ohmigod. Max you are the coolest," Nudge said. It took me a minute to process what she had just said.

"Sooo... basically I just guaranteed that they will all make my life hell?" I asked warily.

"Yep," Gaz said. I jumped, having not noticed they boys were standing behind me. Gazzy's eyes were a shade darker. He had a serious look on his face. He was looking right at me.

"You shouldn't have done that Max," Andrew said. I rolled my eyes at the ignorant boy.

"I'm pretty sure that I'm fine Andrew. I can take care of myself. I'm a black belt in Judo, and a junior black belt in taekwondo," I assured my worried friends. Iggy looked impressed and so did Nudge. Everyone calmed down a bit.

I pulled out my phone. It was 9:45. I promised Mom, Ella and I would be home by 10. Everyone was talking now. I decided to text Ella to tell her of our curfew.

(A/N Bold is Texts)

**I promised Mom we'd b home by 10 MAX**

What? Shut up. I'm having so much fun though ~Ella

Me too, but we'll see these guys tomorrow MAX

Yeah. I guess. Whatever. Gtg Nudge walked up ~Ella

I watched Ella and Nudge swap numbers so they could text each other. I ended up swapping numbers with Iggy, Gazzy, Angel and Andrew. Fang surprisingly had avoided me the rest of the night.

I walked right up to him. He raised an eyebrow. I just rolled my eyes. "Gimme your number," I ordered. Fang looked skeptical, so I grabbed his phone out of his jacket pocket. I plugged my number into his phone. He raised an eyebrow again. I shrugged. He shrugged then took my phone from my hands and put his number in.

I went over to Ella and tapped her on the shoulder. She nodded. "Bye, Nudge. Bye Fang, Iggy, Andrew. Thank for inviting us over Angel and Gaz. Bye," I said as we headed out the door. A chorus of 'byes' rang out.

I slipped into my pjs. I picked my phone up off the bed. Low and behold, a text showed up from none other than Fang.

**Why'd** **u leave? Are u sure u and Ella r alright walking home…F**

**Yeah. We're fine. Why? Is Fangy worried MAX**

**No. How far is your walk? Do you want me to take you home…F**

**Ever the gentleman? No we don't need a ride. We're already home, silly. In fact I'm lying in bed MAX**

**Really. Where do u live…F**

**Why do u want to know, Creeper? Kidding. We live right next door MAX**

**Oh. See u tomorrow. Look for the table at the back of the lunch table. U & Ella r eating with us…F  
**

**K. I'm going to bed. Don't txt me anymore or I swear I'll hunt u down & skin u alive, Fang. I'm cereal MAX**

Whatever…F

I put my phone down. Fang was a mysterious person. He was strange with his 'no talking' persona. It was like Mr. Emo. Whatever.

I turned out the lights and fell asleep.

Fang's POV

I smiled looking at Max's and my texts. She was a nice girl, but would kill you if you messed with her friends. Max would make an interesting friend. I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. I slipped my phone back into my sweatshirt pocket. "Nudge? You ready to go?" I asked. I had to take Nudge home, since her Mom had taken away her car for the week. She nodded.

We climbed into my black 2013 Toyota Avalon. We rode in silence until I pulled into Nudge's driveway. I parked the car. She gave me a quick hug. "Thanks, Fang," she whispered. I smiled and nodded. As soon as Nudge was safe inside, I backed out and drove home.

I couldn't stop thinking about Max. She sure was impressive. I parked my car in the driveway. I climbed the stairs to my room. I flopped into bed and was soon fast asleep thinking about tomorrow and the troubles that were no doubt going to come.

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**What do you guys think? Please leave your comments, I do appreciate them. **

**Thanks, **

**Bronze**


	2. First day at Freshwater High

New Town Love

**Sup guys. Thanks for the 5 reviews. It means a lot. Do you guys have any ideas? Review and I'll see about working a few of them into the story. If you review with ideas, I'll give you a shout out and a cookie. *holds up plate of cookies* They are chocolate chip, made by Dr. Martinez.**

**Disclaimer…I no own Maximum Ride. If I did I'd be super rich….**

**Onto the story…**

Max's POV

I look over at my clock. 5:30am, its morning already. It's the day Ella and I start our new school. I stretch and get up, a little sore because I slept on a sleeping bag on the ground. I slipped on a pair of basketball shorts and my black converse. I grabbed my iPod and phone. I decided to run around the block. I put my iPod on shuffle and started to run.

The houses on the block were all one story and a variety. I stopped in front of a blue house to tie my shoe. I looked up at one of the bedroom windows with the light on. The blinds were up so I could clearly see the person. It was Iggy. Thank goodness he was clothed. I shook my head and headed back off. When "Better then Revenge" by Taylor Swift came on. I ran as fast as I could back home. There is just something about that song. I walked back to my bedroom and plopped down on the floor.

What to wear? Not usually a question that runs through Maximum Ride's head, but I wanted to make a rep for myself. I didn't want to look like a super preppy girl, or a nerd, or a popular. Ella would make me look preppy or popular if she got to me. I decided on badass. It would scare off those popular idiots. I slipped into some normal jeans. Heaven forbid I EVER wear jeans like Ella did last night. I hate her super skinny jeans. I pulled on a plain black t shirt and the black leather jacket Ella had given me. She said it didn't look good on her. I put my black converse back on and picked up my purple backpack.

There are many stories that Maximum Ride hates purple, but those are myths. I just hate pink, that's all. My backpack is purple, my pencil is purple, and I'm going to paint a wall in my room purple. I even want a purple motorcycle. I have nothing against purple.

I grabbed a brush and tugged it through my knotted hair. My hair is always knotted. It's ridiculous, really. I pulled my hair into a ponytail, and then brushed my teeth.

I walked out into the kitchen. Mom had a bowl of my favorite cereal ready for me. I sat down next to Ella. She looked at me critically, but shrugged and went back to her Fruit Loops. I ate my Frosted Flakes in silence.

"Mom, we have to go!" Ella shrieked. Mom nodded and we all loaded into her car. I didn't have a car yet, and Ella was too young to drive, so Mom took us to school.

Mom pulled the car to a stop in front of Freshwater High School. "Bye. Take the bus home. I called and set up your bus schedule yesterday. Max, try not to get into any fights. Bye," Mom said before we got out. I nodded my head and exited the car.

Ella and I walked right up to the office. I entered with Ella right behind me. I walked up to the secretary. "Hi. Max Ride and Ella Martinez. We're new," I told her. She looked up and smiled. She was way too perky.

"Hi. I'm Mrs. Deal, but call me Rita. Mr. Forester's office is right there. He's the principal. Vice principal is right next door, Mrs. Yield. Mr. Pole is right down the hall. He is the guidance counselor. Here are your schedules. Max, your locker number is 633. Ella you are 591. Here is a school map for each of you. Good luck," Rita rattled off all the information in break neck speed. I led Ella out of the office.

"Let me see your schedule…we have lunch together. Bye. See you later," I said giving her back her schedule back and headed off to find my locker.

I finally found it. 633. I spun the dial until it clicked open. I put my backpack inside, but tucked my schedule into my jacket pocket after looking at it.

**Mr. Estelle Homeroom  
English  
P. E.  
Physics  
Biology  
Lunch  
Spanish  
Pre-Calculus  
Home Ec.**

I headed back out to the front of the school. I saw Omega. Uh, oh. His eye looked pretty bad, but he saw me with his good eye.

Omega, Dylan, and Ari sauntered up to me with three girls following them. All three girls were in miniskirts and heels, and one had hair like mine. "Well, hello Omega. How's that eye treating you? Did you want a fat lip, too?" I asked. He just drew his lips into snarl. Dylan and Ari had to restrain him from lunging at me. I just raised my eyebrows at the three girls.

"Who are you?" one with red hair asked in obvious disgust.

"I'm the new girl that's gonna make your lives hell, if you boyfriends don't step off," I replied. The three girls rolled their eyes. Dylan glared at me.

"Your mommy has to drop you off, Ride? I'm surprised, Ella is it, chooses to be seen with you. You suck. Too bad Ella's your sister. She's hot enough to be a popular if she didn't have you as a sister," Dylan smirked. I pursed my lips and settled into a fighting stance. He smirked.

"Really, Ride?" he asked. I threw a punch aimed for his chest, but he dodged it. It brought a round house kick that hit him in the head. Dylan fell. I straightened up. The three girls were all glaring at me.

"See ya, suckers," I replied, turning and walking away from the big headed jerks. I was a half way to my locker when I saw three figures charging to me.

"Max!" one of them called. Nudge. I turned around to find Angel, Gazzy, and Nudge running to me. Gazzy was in the lead. He tapped my arm.

"I win. Take that girlies," he boasted. I just rolled my eyes.

"Let me see your schedule," Nudge demanded. I handed it over for the girl to look over.

"You have Home room with Fang and Angel, English with me, P. E. with Fang, Iggy, and Gaz, Physics with me and Ig, Biology with Gaz and Angel, Lunch with all of us, Pre-Calc with Fang and Iggy, Spanish with Gaz and me, and Home Ec. with Fang. Well, we all get lunch together," Nudge exclaimed. Just then the warning bell rang.

"Come on, Max. I'll take you to home room," Angel offered. I nodded returned to my locker and grabbed my English binder. It had my work from my old school. We were working on developing a plot last week. I didn't know if I was ahead or behind, but I didn't care. I followed Angel to a classroom where a man sat at a desk. He was a young dude without facial hair. Most of the class was already in their desks. Angel walked me up to the teacher, and then left to her desk.

"Hello. I'm Mr. Estelle. You must be Maximum Ride, our new student," he said. I just nodded. He stood up to address the class. "Class, this is Maximum..." I cut him off. "Max. My name is Max." He nodded. "This is Max Ride, our new student. Max, why don't you tell us a bit about yourself? I nodded.

I surveyed the class. I saw Angel and Fang sitting side by side. I saw Ari, Omega, and the three chicks from earlier. Next to the chick with dirty blonde hair like mine there was an empty seat. _It must belong to Dylan_.

"I'm Max. I moved from Colorado, and I have a little sister, Ella. I love blue cotton candy and I've always wanted a purple motorcycle," I told them. Fang grinned at me, boosting my self confidence.

"Max, you can sit right in front of Fang and next to Mitch," Mr. Estelle told me. He pointed to an empty desk. I nodded and plopped down in the chair. I looked back at Angel and pretended to listen to morning announcements.

A ball of paper came hurtling towards me. Out of reflex, I caught it. I unfolded the paper. It had a picture of a crudely draw girl. The girl was in the middle of a fire with six other people pointing and laughing. It had an arrow pointing to the fire girl saying 'Max'. I rolled my eyes. It said, "Your dead Max. Burn!" I tucked it into my English binder and looked in the direction it had come from. Omega was pointing at me and saying something to the girl sitting next to him. She laughed. I turned around to face Fang.

"So, what's up?" I asked him. He just shrugged. He was dressed in all black again.

"What's up with the all black?" Another shrug. This was not working for me. I held my phone under the desk and turned it on silent. Texting. I would get Fang to talk by texting him.

**Why won't you talk MAX**

Really? In class…F

What you never break the rules MAX

I didn't say that…F

Whatever MAX

U want a purple motorcycle…F

Ya. Got a problem with that MAX

No…F

**Good. Or I might have to take u down like I did Dylan MAX**

That's why he's gone…F

Yeah. I kicked him in the head MAX

Max, really…F

What MAX

Nvrm…F  
  
I didn't text him back. I put my phone away and then the bell rang. I met up with Nudge in the hallways. She showed me to English. Introductions were made again. English was with Mrs. Greer. I sat through a boring lessen. Turns out I was ahead.

Finally, it was P. E. time. I changed into my uniform in the locker room. Girls were gossiping, but I shot out of there as fast as I could. The P. E. teacher, Coach Hole, Fang, and Iggy were the only people in the gym. I walked over them in time to see Gazzy exit the boys' locker room. Coach Hole was going on about some new unit. I hoped it wasn't jump rope or volleyball.

When the rest of the class was gathered around Coach Hole he finally told us what are unit would be. "It's…basketball," he said making a big show of revealing a standard basketball. This was something I could work with. I love basketball. Both Ella and I play. I'm really good.

"Go do your four minute warm up before we begin," Coach Hole demanded I bewilderedly followed Iggy and Gaz out of the gym. Fang was nowhere to be seen.

"We run as many laps as we can in four minutes," Iggy told me. I nodded. I was the fastest runner at my old school, but I had no idea how I'd do here, so my plan was to stay in the front of the pack. Fang managed to sneak up behind me again.

"You should stick with Iggy or Gaz. Don't expect to stick with me," he warned. I just shrugged and started stretching as soon as I hit the track. Coach Hole blew his whistle signaling the start of our four minutes. I took off in front of Gaz and Iggy, but Fang was in front of me. I sprinted as fast as I could, which was pretty fast. I passed Mitch and then Andrew. I finally pulled even with Fang. I was as shocked as he was. Fang was fast. I couldn't believe I had actually caught him.

Fang's mouth was open a bit. He poured on the speed and was ahead of me again. No way was I letting him get away that easy. I tapped into my giant reserves of stamina and cranked up the speed. Before I knew it, I had blown past Fang. I started to lap some of the slow girls. I passed the starting line once, twice, three times, four times, five times, six times. I heard Coach's whistle blow. I slowed to a stop and walked back to the gym. I stopped for a sip of water where I was attacked with questions by Iggy and Gazzy. "How'd you out run Fang and still have the strength to walk?" Iggy questioned. I just shrugged. I walked into the gym and saw people pairing up and grabbing basketballs. Iggy and Gaz immediately paired up. I paired with Fang and we practiced passing drills.

"Now, class, if you are going to try out for the basketball team, pay attention to the drills we do," Coach Hole ordered. I nodded my head intent on making the basketball team. Fang was quiet for a while.

"How'd you run faster than me? No one can run faster than me," Fang told me. I shrugged.

"I can run faster than you," I pointed out. "So you're not invincible. So what?" I asked. Fang just shrugged, but you could see his lip twitching. He wasn't happy that I had beaten him.

We worked on passing, shooting, and guarding. Fang was good, but so was I, and no way was I going to give up easy. I had to follow up on my great run with great basketball skills.

P. E. finished and I changed out of my sweaty gym clothes. I stuffed them into my gym locker and headed to Physics. I stepped into the classroom with a bit of time to spare. I introduced myself to Mrs. Fields, the teacher. She had me sit next to Iggy and behind Nudge. "How'd you outrun Fang and have the energy to keep going?" Iggy interrogated. Nudge turned around in her seat.

"You ran faster than Fang, Fang Nichols?" Nudge asked shocked. I nodded, a little embarrassed by all the attention. Nudge squealed and was quickly hushed by Mrs. Fields. I just kept nodding to Iggy's constant badgering. That kid never shut up.

Biology with Mr. Will was a bore. More introductions, more new seating. Boring. Lunch couldn't have come sooner.

I ran back to my locker, got my lunch, Pre-calculus binder and my Spanish binder. I walked to lunch with Gazzy and Angel who brought me to the back table to eat with the gang. I slid into a spot in between Ella and Fang. My arm felt warm against Fang strong muscled arm. I pulled my sandwich out of my bag and listened to everyone talk about just whatever.

I stood up to throw away my lunch. I launched it towards the trash can and it went right in. I calmly walked away and into the halls. I wandered around for a while before I realized I had no idea where I was going. I sighed and slumped to the ground in front of one of the classrooms. I put my head in my hands. I heard footsteps headed my way and I quickly jumped to my feet, expecting to come face to face with Dylan, Ari, Omega or one of their stupid girlfriend. I was right. The three girls were staring at me.

"What do you want?" I growled. The lead one the one with hair like mine just sneered at me.

"I'm Maya this is Brigid and Lissa," she said, pointing to the girls in turn. "Leave us and our boyfriends alone or you're going to regret it," she warned.

"I've already taken down all three of your boyfriends; I don't think I'll have a problem with you three. Now, go away," I threatened. I settled into a fighting stance and Brigid was stupid enough to take off her heels and rush me. I was shocked and hit the ground hard. A well executed football tackle. I winced slightly as I sat up. My head was starting to hurt. I got back onto my feet and punched Lissa in the nose.

"Guess I ruined your nose job," I said unsympathetically. She clutched her nose and glared at me. Maya had taken off her heels and was settled into a fighting stance. There was no way Maya or any of these chicks could beat me. I settled into a similar fighting stance and she threw the first punch. I was caught off guard and she hit me right below my eye. I threw a round house kick at her and swept her off her feet. I lunged forward and pinned her to the ground with my knee. Lissa and Brigid were in no shape to help her, they were both swearing quite colorfully.

"Ms. Ride, principal's office. Now," ordered a woman. I got up off of Maya and trudged to the office. I entered and saw Too Perky Rita. She smiled brightly at me.

"I was told to see the principal," I informed her. Her smile drooped a bit and she pointed to a chair. She stood from her desk and poked her head into the principal's office.

"You can go in," Rita told me. I nodded and entered Mr. Forester's office. I walked into the principal's office and he gestured for me to sit in one of the chairs. I did so and looked around his office.

"Ms. Ride, do you know why you were sent to see me?" asked Mr. Forester. He looked like one of the young cool teachers that thrived to be hip, but wasn't. I nodded my head. Mr. Forester inclined his head as if to ask me why. I stared Mr. Forester in the eyes. My brown ones locked with his blue ones.

"I punched Lissa in the nose and kicked then pinned Maya," I told him in the tone of voice one would use when announcing that you were getting a new puppy. Mr. Forester frowned and stared at me.

"This is your first day, so I'm letting you off with a warning. Learn to control yourself Maximum," the principal chided me. I winced at the mention of my full name, but nodded none the less. I rose from the chair and exited the principal's office.

I had missed half of Spanish, and my cheek was really starting to throb when I was finally assigned a seat. Gazzy looked over at me. "What happened?" he mouthed pointing to the purple swelling spot on my cheek.

"I got in a fight," I mouthed back. Gazzy rolled his eyes and looked away. Whatever. I slumped in my chair and pretended to listen to whatever the teacher was talking about.

I walked out of Spanish in a hurry. I saw Iggy in the hallway and followed him to Pre-calculus. I introduced myself to Mr. Wester and the class he had me sit next to Fang and Iggy, but in front of Ari.

"Max? What happened?" Fang asked lightly brushing his thumb over my cheek.

"Nothing," I replied, giving a shrug.

"That's not nothing, Max. What happened?"

"It's nothing to me. I've broken my ribs before and a few of my knuckles. This is nothing."

I looked back at Ari. "Fine, Fang. You wanna know. His girlfriend," I said jerking a thumb at Ari, "punched me. I messed her, Brigid, and Lissa up pretty bad. I would've punched the crap out of Maya if one of the teachers hadn't sent me to the principal's office. There. Told you it was nothing."

Ari chose that moment to chime in. "I'm surprised you could take Maya. She's a black belt in Judo. Of course, she was probably going easy on you. Wouldn't want to hurt fragile little Maxi," he cooed. Man, I hate Ari, but I hate being called Maxi even more. I turned around and punched Ari in the eye.

"Maximum Ride, to the principal's office, now," called out Mr. Wester. I glanced over at Fang. His fists were clenched and his jaw set. I lightly brushed his arm before walking out of the room.

Fangs POV

Max brushed my arm and it made me unclench my fists. I caught her eye for the briefest of seconds. Max had some anger issues. She's already hit Brigid, Lissa, Maya, Dylan, Omega, and Ari, all the populars.

"Hey, Iggy. What is she talking about?" I whispered. Iggy was feverishly taking notes and writing down formulas. It just looked like a bunch trash to me, but Iggy was the smart one.

Home Ec. couldn't have come sooner. Max hadn't returned to Pre-Calc from her visit to Mr. Forester. I gathered my things returned to my locker and grabbed my Home Ec. binder. I sat in my seat which was next to no one. It worked for me, not being one to talk a lot. There was a pile of things covered by a table cloth on Miss Dale's desk.

Max walked in just before the bell rang. Her and Miss Dale had a conversation and Miss Dale pointed to me and then Max nodded. Max came down the row and sat in the seat next to me.

"What happened?" I asked.

"I got a week's detention, but whatever. Not like its any surprise. Got them all the time at my old school," Max told me. I shook my head and stared down at my binder.

"Alright class. We are going to come out of home cleaning and go into cooking." Max put her head in her hands.

"Oh, God. Another F," Max muttered. I knew I could easily get an A. My dad's a chef at THE TREETOP CAFÉ and had taught me a lot of his recipes.

"Here are the materials we will be using. Today, we will be learning about the different utensils," Miss Dale said. "I'm going to have you work with the person sitting next to you. I'm going to give you a test to see what you already know. You have 10 minutes to finish. Good luck."

The packet landed on my desk. I pushed it between Max and me. "Sorry, Fang, but I'm not going to be any help here. I can't cook for the life of me," Max confided. I nodded my head. "I've never really been in the kitchen much so you're kinda on your own." I nodded again.

"Well," I said pointing to the picture on the first page. It was a ladle. "This is a ladle. You use it to scoop liquids, like soup, out of a pot. This next one is a spatula. You use it for flipping pancakes," I explained. Max nodded her head and listened to me carefully. It looked like Max wanted to be a good cook but no one had ever taken the time to show her how. Maybe I would.

"I know this one! It a whisk!" Max cried. She did indeed know it was a whisk. I gave her a small smile and continued to coach her through the rest of the packet. Max knew two out of the whole thing, the whisk and the meat cleaver, which I won't lie, scared me a bit.

"Now, class at the end of the week we are going to be making spaghetti. Today we'll use the last half hour to make a simple chocolate mousse. Please refrain from eating it, John. This should take 5-10 minutes, but we all know that's not going to happen," Miss Dale explained. She pulled large grocery bags onto the table and showed us the ingredients. I'd made mousse plenty of times before, so I was done before the rest of the class. Max seemed to have a hard time with her.

"Come on you son of a peacock. Work right already!" she muttered under her breath. I grinned and sat back to let Max fumble with the task at hand.

"Time," Miss Dale called. Max gazed down at the brown bowl of something in front of her. My chocolate mousse was perfect and set presentably in front of me. Miss Dale was critiquing all of them.

"A+. Well done Nick," Miss Dale commented. I nodded my head in thanks and watched as Max's mousse was judged.

"Ms. Ride. Your mousse may be missing a few ingredients like sugar. D-." Max grinned and looked triumphant. The final bell rang and we all streamed out of the room. Max followed me closely back to my locker. She stopped before mine. There were three lockers separating ours. She grinned at me. Grabbed a purple backpack and stuffed all of her homework into it. She followed me closely back out to the front of the school. Max saw Ella chilling with Nudge and Iggy. Angel and Gazzy walked up the same time Max and I did.

"We're all going over to Iggy's house. Wanna come Max?" Nudge invited. Iggy shrugged his approval and Max whipped out her phone. She texted someone, presumably her mom, and after a few minutes, she nodded and said that Ella and she come to Iggy's house. Max bit her lip for a minute then nodded again. She texted someone again and nodded.

"We'll be right over," Max promised. Iggy opened his mouth to give Max directions, but she held up her hand.

"It's ok Iggy. I know where you live. Wow that sounded stalkerish," Max commented with a small smile. Iggy looked puzzled and Max proceeded to explain. "I ran around the block this morning and saw Iggy in his house. Again, sounding like a stalker. Whatever." Iggy slowly nodded his head.

"See you guys at my place," he said and headed off to his car. Iggy drove off. Angel and Gazzy broke off. I raised an eyebrow at Nudge and she nodded I looked over at Max and Ella. Ella was yapping on about how she met Casey and she was really cool. I slowly walked away with Nudge. We climbed into my car and I drove over to Iggy's place.

Max arrived five minutes later. Nudge jumped up as soon as they walked through the door. She went to retrieve the popcorn. I was lying on the floor, my English homework in front of me. Iggy was sprawled over one couch and Angel and Nudge the other. Gazzy was resting in a large armchair.  
Nudge came back with a giant bowl of popcorn. We all sat doing our homework and talking. Pretty boring. Max plunked onto the floor next to me. Ella had gone to sit next to Nudge.

"What are we doing? I missed most of the lesson," Max stated pointing to her Pre-Calc homework. I shrugged and pointed at Iggy

"Ask him. He's the genius," I informed her. Max's cheek was still a little swollen, but I made no move to make sure she was ok. I didn't need to get my head ripped off again. Max turned and started nagging Iggy about the homework.

Two hours later put me with my English and Spanish homework done. Physics and Biology weren't due 'til next week. What can I say? I'm a procrastinator. I grabbed the remote off the couch and turned on the tv. Nudge had spotted the movie I was quickly trying to skip over.

"The Princess Bride! Oh Fang. Can we watch it PPPPPLLLLLLLEEEEEAAAAASSSSSE EE! Please Please Please. Please Fang Please!" Nudge shouted. I reluctantly nodded my head. It was just starting, so the title filled the screen. Ella and Nudge huddled close together and I sat up with my back against the choice that Ig was laying on. Max sat up next to me. We watched Princess Bride 'til it was over.

Nudge and Ella were both in tears by that time. Ella stood up to get a tissue. Nudge grabbed one of the pillows off the couch and held a finger to her lips. No one said a peep. Nudge whacked Ella over the head with the throw pillow.

That was the beginning of a fully fledged pillow fight. "Boys Vs. Girls!" Ella announced. We got into our teams. I was quite confident that we guys would dominate. Iggy ran into the bedrooms and returned with ten more pillows. We were about to come from behind the couch when the girls ascended on us. Nudge and Angel started whaling on Gazzy. Iggy was ambushed by Ella, but he quickly over took her. He was straddling her and holding her hands above her head. Ella was thrashing around, but couldn't get out of Iggy's grip. Max had jumped on my back and was only holding on with her legs. She was battering my head with a pillow. I stood up so it looked like I was giving Max a piggy back ride. I spun around in a circle really fast. Max reacted fast enough and clung to my shoulders. I got a really good feeling. I ran up to the couch and dropped Max onto it.

Max POV

Fang dropped me onto the couch. I sprung up and Fang whirled around and hit me square in the stomach with a pillow. I have a six pack, so it didn't hurt, but I thought I'd play a trick on little Fangles. I fell backwards and lied there. I shut my eyes and waited. Talking erupted around me. Someone had dropped to the ground next to me. Other people were hovering over me. I lay as still and silent as I could.

"Max? Are you ok?" the person next to me asked. It was Fang. I gave a small moan and I could feel Fang's rough hands shaking my shoulder. Then came the scare. My hand darted forward as fast as it could and grabbed Fang's wrist. I yelled loud. Fang jumped. I burst out laughing. Fang had a devilish grin that quickly made me rethink my laughter. I was roughly thrown over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Fang's arm was encircling my waist. I looked over at Iggy.

"Iggy? Where is Fang going?" I asked as innocently as possibly. All I got in reply was a shrug. We were followed outside by everyone else. Ella and Nudge gasped, and then erupted in giggles. I didn't have a chance to ask what.

I hurled through the air and then I fell and hit a wave of freezing cold water. Me, being the snappy thinker that I am, pulled another trick. I sank and held my breath. I lay on the bottom. Fang dove in after me and hauled me back to the surface. I lay limply in his arms. Fang set me on the side of the pool and stared helplessly at me. "Max? I'm sorry. I didn't know you couldn't swim," he apologized, emotion thickly coated his voice. I weakly raised a hand and then when my hand was resting on his chest, I powerfully shoved him backwards into the pool. I sat up and looked at the surprised face of Fang right before he hit the water.

Fang surfaced and we were all laughing. Fang pulled himself out of the pool and lightly shoved me. I smirked as Fang flipped the hair out of his eyes. Iggy appeared with towels for us. "I have an idea. Follow me," Nudge said in a really mysterious voice. I stood up shivering and followed Nudge.


End file.
